Knitting-machine mechanism



s. MISHCON KNITTING MACHINE MECHANISM Aug. 21, 1928.

Filed April 22, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR g el Jiti/sficon/ ATTORNEYS Aug. 21, 1928. 1,681,359

7 S. MISHCON KNITTING MACHINE MECHANISM Filed April 22, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR" ATTORNEYS Aug. 21, 1928.

S. MISHCON KNITTING MACHINE MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 22, 1925 ILJVENTOR Samuel J/Qshcm'.

BY a

ATTORNEYS WITNESSES ian-r Patented Aug. 21 .1928.

1 UNITED STATES PATENT oFncE.

KNITTING-MACHINE MECHANISM.

Application filed April 22, 1925.

This invention relates to knitting machine mechanism, and has particular reference to the lock assembly for operating the jacks and needles of a knitting machine.

It is well known that the flat types of knitting machines, as a general class, operate to carry out plain stitching which will result in pro nets of different characters in that different designs may be obtained by changing the nature of the stitches. It has been found that this type of machine is susceptible of further improvements, in that by the incorporation of additional mechanism the machine may be made tocarry out fancy stitching as well as plain stitching. Hitherto when it has been sought to incorporate additional mechanism for carrying out the fancy stitching operations, the knitting machine had to be materially altered.

It is, therefore, the prime object of the present invention to incorporate in a flat type of knitting machine, mechanism by virtue of which fancy work may be obtained as well as plain work without changing the construction of the'machine and so as to permit the machine to operate in the usual manner and for carrying out the usual results looked for.

Another object of the invention is to produce a novel form of jack which is capable of being used in the usual type of needle bed, and by virtue of whose construction the jacks may be readily assembled in the bed and be readily removed without removing any other part of the needle bed.

Another object of the invention is to provide for a knitting machine, a single lock assembly which will include jack-operating locks and a set of needle operating locks, one of which is in the form of a control lock and is movably associated with one of the jack operating locks to render the same active and inactive.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following specification is read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: i Figure 1 is an insideview of the reciprocating carriage and the lockassembly carried thereby, which constitutes one of the features of the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 2"- 2 of Fig. 1, the needle bed also being shown; 7 a

Fig. 3 isa transverse sectional view through a portion of a knit-ting machine and showing Serial No. 25,117.

the combination of elements employed in carrymg out the present lnvention;

1* 1g. 4 1s a fragmentary elevation of a portion of the needle bed of the machine and which the needles and jacks are shown in different stages of movement;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 5, but illustrating the lock assembly in return travel, and in which the needles and jacks are shown in different stages of return movement. y

In the practice of thepresent invention, to carry out the results looked for, among other things use will be made of a needle bed 10, a set of needles 11, a set of jacks 12 which cooperate with the needles 11, a reciprocating carriage 29, which carries the lock assembly 14, and a pattern or jacquard mechanism15 which operates to selectively and initially lift the jacks in accordance with the particular fancy pattern sought. Each of the needles 11 includes a butt 16 and a tail 17. Each of the jacks, which in the present instance is of novel construction, in the embodiment shownconsists of a member 18 and a member 19. member 18 consists of a head 20, a butt 21, and a tail 22, there being a notch 23, preferably at the juncture of the butt 21 and head 20. The member 19 is made of a single piece of spring material bent and formed to provide branches 25 and 26, and an angularly disposed extremity 27 on the branch 25 adapted to be disposed in the notch 23. The construction and arrangement of the members 18 and 19 is such that the members may be readily separated, and such that when in use will move together with portions of the member 19 acting as a friction means for holding the jack in the different positions to which it is moved. It should be noted that the head 20 of each jack is relatively wide and is provided with a notch 28 for the reception of the tail of its related needle to maintain the alinement of'the jack and needle. It is also to be understood that the needles and jacks are arranged in pairs and that in their normal relationship the tail of each needle is in contact with the head of its related jack. The mechanism 15 for imparting initial movement to particular jacks The tit)

to positions in which they may be operated upon by a set of locks employed for operating the same, may be of any preferred type; the mechanism 15 being known as a. jacquarding mechanism and employed for controlling the movement of certain acks to carry out a particular operation for obtaining a particular fancy pattern in the knitted product.

In order that the stitching or knitting operations of the needles may be effected to obtain either plain or fancy products, there is provided the carriage 29, which may be of any suitable construction and which may be operated in anysuitable manner to cause the reciprocation of the carriage, and an assembly of locks carried by a portion of the carriage. The carriage includes a supporting base plate 30, which has adjustably connected thereto a plate 31, by the use of bolts 32. The assembly of locks comprises a set of jackoperating locks and a set of needle-operating locks, all of which are carried by the plate 31 in co-operative relationship. The set of jack-operating locks consists of a center lock 33. and end locks 34: and 35. The center lock 33 is arranged between the end locks 34. and 35, and is disposed centrally with respect thereto so as to bear the same relationship to each end lock. The center lock has cani faces 36, 37 and 3S, and is attached to the plate 31 by screws 39. As attached, the cam faces 36 and 38 will be angularly disposed with respect to the path of travel of the carriage, and the cam face 37 will be disposed parallel thereto. The end locks 31 and 35 are identical in construction, and each end lock has cam faces 40, il and 42, and is attached to the plate 31 by suitable fastening elements, such as a screw -13 and pins 1-1. As attached the cam faces it) and -12 of each end lock will be angularly disposed with respect tothe path of travel of the carriage, and the cam face 41 will be disposed parallel thereto. Itis also to be noted that the cam face 37 of the lock 33 is in a horizontal plane above the coincident horizontal planes of the cam surfaces -11 of the end locks.

This set of needle-operating locks consists of locks 45, 46, -17, 48, 49 and 50. The locks 15 and 16 are adjustably mounted and are substantially identical in shape, and each having an irregular cam face 51. The lock 47 is arranged between the locks 45 and 16, and has a cam face 52 which merges with the cam face 51. The lock -18 includes a cam face 53, and the lock 49 includes a cam face a which merges with the cam face The cam faces of the locks 15, 16, 17, 48 and 49 constitute a ineans'which coaets with the butt of each needle for reciprocating the same, as each needle is placed in a certain position. The lock 50 is in the nature of a control lock and includes cam faces 54 and 55. The lock50 is juxtaposed with respect to the lock 33 and is mounted for movement with respect to the lock 33, movement of the lock 50 being effected by virtue of posts 56 and 57 slidably mounted in guideholes in the base plate 30, springs 58 which surround the posts 56 and 57 respectively, and an actuator 158 having a cam 59 which coaets with a bevel portion (30 of a part of the lock 50, the arrangement icing such that upon movement of the actuator 158, the lock 50 will be held in flush with the face of the plate 31, thus rendering the lock 33 active, and by moving the actuator 158 in the opposite direction, the lock 50 will be moved by virtue of the springs 58 out to a position over the lock 33 to render the same inactive. The set of needle-operating locks shown have been used for carrying out plain knitting, and formerly, present locks 33 and 50 constituted one lock. The fact that two locks, 33 and 50, are provided in lieu of one single lock, and by adding the end locks 31 and 35, fancy stitching operations may he 'arried out as well as plain stitching, it only being necessary to shift or move the lock 50.

Referring now to Fig. 5, it will be apparent that when the carriage travels in the di rection indicated by the arrow, and assuming that certain of the jacks have been elevated from the position shown at a to the position shown at b, by the mechanism 15, the cam face of the lock 34: will coact with the butt 21 of each jack positioned at b and will elevate that jack so as to engage its related needle, as the butt 21 rides on to the cam face 41, as at c. As the carriage moves forward, the butt 21 will be encountered by the cam face 36 of the lock 33 and be elevated to the position shown at (Z, presenting the butt 16 of its related needle to the action of the cam faces of the set of needle-operating locks mentioned. Meanwhile the butt 21 of each jack which has been acted upon by the cam face 36 rides over the cam face 37 until its related needle is brought down, which forces the jack downwardly to a position a to be subsequently encountered by the cam face -12 of the lock 45, which brings the jack to its normal position (1 out of contact with its related needles. This is considered a half-round operation.

Prior to the return movement of the carriage in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 6 the mechanism is again operated to lift selected jacks from their normal positions a to the position shown at b, whereupon the cam faces 4-0 of the lock will contact with the butt 21 of each jack positioned as at b and will elevate that jack so as to engage its related needle as the butt 21 rides on to the cam face 41 as at c. As the carriage continues to move forward, the butt 21 will be encountered by the cam face 38 of the lock 33 and will be elevated to the position 01, presenting the butt 16 of its related needle to the action of the cam face of the set of needleoperating locks mentioned. Meanwhile,;-the

butt 21 of each jack which has been acted upon by the cam face 38 rides over the cam face 37 until its related needle is brought down, which forces the jack downwardlyto its position e to be subsequently encountered by the cam face 42 of the lock 34, which brings the jack to its normal position a out of contact with its related needle.

It is to be understood that the mechanism 15 may be made to operate in timed accord with the reciprocation of the carriage so that it will operate the particular jacks in each of the forward and return travels of the can riage, as a full-round operation. All this is in the scheme of operation of the usual type of knitting machine which carries out of plain stitching. It follows, therefore, that provision is made for carrying out a halfround operation or a full-round operation, and that by ceasing the operation of the mechanism 15 and by moving the lock out, plain stitching operations may be carried out in the usual manner as distinguished from the fancy knitting operations previously explained.

The type of jacks of the present invention hereinbefore described as being made of two parts or members 18 and 19, may be readily removed from the needle bed without. removing the stop bar 59 which limits the downward movement of each of the jacks by virtue of the engagement of the jack butts with said bar. Removal of any particular jack being accomplished by simply taking hold of its butt and imparting to the member 18 an upward and outward pull, themembers 18 and 19 will be separated and will be per mitted to be detached from the bed. In the normal positions of the jacks, their butts, respectively, are in contact with the stop bar 59, and said butts are out of the path of travel of the jack'operating locks and the machine can be operated for carrying out plain stitching in the ordinary manner.

It is to be understood that the set of jackoperating locks shown, all of which are stationa-rily mounted on a portion of the carriage, and the movable control lock 50 or equivalent may be used in conjunction with any other assembly of needle-operating locks besides those shown in the present embodi= ment of the invention.

hat is claimed is:

1. A needlebperating jack comprising a pair of separable members, one of said members having a head, a butt, a tail, and a notch, the other member being in the nature of a friction means and having an extremity engageable in said notch.

2. A needle operating jack comprising a pair of separable members, one of said members having a notched head, a butt, a tail, and a side notch, the other member being bent and formed from a single piece of spring material to provide coacting yieldable branches and an angulai'ly disposed extremity on one of said branches adapted to be received in said side notch.

111 a knitting machine, a set of needles, a set of jacks cooperable with the needles, a reciprocating carriage, a set of jack-operatinglocks, consisting of acenter lock and two end locks, said locks being fixedly mounted on and movable with said carriage, a set of needle operating locks carried by and movable with said carriage and including a movable control loc associated with said center lock to render the same active for jack operation for the fancy stitching operation and to render the same inactive and itself active for the plain stitching operation, and jacquard mechanism for selectively raising the jacks at each half cycle of operation of said carriage, one of said end locks serving to raise the initially raised acks the path of travel of said center lock which still further raises the jacks to raise their needles to the set of needle operating locks during each half cycle of operation of said carriage and the other of said end locks serving to lower the jacks to normal position when they are lowered to its path of travel in the lowering of their related needles by the needle operating locks during each half cycle of operation of said carriage.

SAMUEL MISHCON. 

